Antrim Marina - Sunday 3rd August 2025...

Antrim Marina - Sunday 3rd August 2025

Today marked my return to Antrim Marina to begin this winter's series of weekly visits studying the wintering population of Black-headed Gulls on the site.  Some of these gulls have been colour-ringed over past winters and efforts will be made to add additional gulls to my study this winter.

During the summer, not a single gull was spotted in foreign countries.  Prior to the onset of the breeding season -  2FJF  was spotted in Scotland (17th January 2025), and -  2FFH  was found dead at a breeding colony in The Netherlands (suspected 'Bird Flu', but results did not come back to me).   2FFX , was spotted several times at the RSPB's Window on Wildlife Reserve in Belfast, where it once again nested on platform one.   2FFX  has now returned to the Marina, being the 9th of 13 colour-rings recorded today.

I arrived at the Marina at 10am this morning, leaving just after 2pm.  Over my four hour visit, there was a continued mix of cloud and sunshine, with the temperature gauge in my car reading 20ºC.  As the morning wore on, a light breeze turned into a quite strong wind with some gusts felt pushing against my car.

The reading of colour-rings was a very slow and drawn out affair.  Finishing on a total of 13, this represents around of the total which I expect to record over the next couple of months.  I know that there were a number of cases of 'Bird Flu' recorded over the summer, but to what extent it has affected my study birds will be revealed as the winter progresses.

On my arrival, around 40 Black-headed Gulls were present, including three juveniles.  Over the four hours, numbers continued to fluctuate with a maximum of around 60 and a low of 12.  Just four juveniles at any one time, which is already telling me that the Black-headed Gulls have had a poor breeding season locally.  This comes as no surprise, as continuing issues on Lough Neagh, is no doubt influencing the insect population.

Of today's 13 ring sightings, two especially stood out.  The first was that of -  2FHV .  Caught and ringed at the Marina in November 2021, it was spotted twice in a breeding colony in northern Iceland in June and July 2022.  Every five years, a full breeding census of the Black-headed and Common Gulls in Iceland is carried out, hence the sightings of -  2FHV .  No further sightings have been recorded there since, which comes as no surprise (always hopeful).

At the Marina, I have discovered that -  2FHV  uses the site as a 'Staging Point' before moving on to it's wintering site which as yet is unknown.  Normally in February, the gull returns to the Marina on it's way back to Iceland.  The gull had me 'wondering' earlier this year, as it do not return (had it died???).  Last seen on the 19th October 2024 at the Marina, I was so glad to see it back today.  It is now 3 years, 8 months and 26 days since I ringed this gull.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FHV   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (03 Aug 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 8th November 2021, at Antrim Marina)

Talking of Icelandic Black-headed Gulls, the metal-rung -  543335  could well return for a third winter running on my next visit.  Ringed in Iceland in July 2023, it first turned up at Antrim Marina on the 21st August 2023.  Last year, I recorded it's return on the 11th August 2024 and was last seen on the 10th March 2025.

The second Black-headed Gull of interest today, was the rarely spotted -  2FFT .  I ringed this gull in December 2020.  Up until the 12th January 2025, it has only been recorded here on 13 occasions.  With no summer sightings at the Marina, this gull definitely nests elsewhere, perhaps in Europe.  It's appearance at the Marina over the winter can happen at any time, which suggests it does stay somewhere around the town of Antrim.  Always nice to record another sighting, it is now 4 years, 7 months and 13 days since it was ringed.

Black-headed Gull  -   2FFT   -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (03 Aug 2025)

(Ringed as an Unsexed Adult, on the 21st December 2020, at Antrim Marina)

Colour Ringed Black-headed Gulls Recorded at Antrim Marina on Sunday 3rd August 2025

2CSR	2FJA	2FFA	2FIL	2FJN	2FJK	2FJT
2FHV	2FFX	2AAN	2ACV	2FFT	2CJT

During my random summer visits to record the resident Black-headed Gulls, one bird I made mention of due to it's absence was -  2AAB .  This gull was among the first to be ringed belonging to Adam McClure's former Northern Ireland Black-headed Gull Study (2012 to 2018).  Ringed in December 2012, over the following years, I became quite attached to this gull.  When present, I could easily walk up to it and hand feed it with bread.  Last seen on the 3rd March 2025, it was at that time, the oldest living Black-headed Gull belonging to Adam Study.  A year round resident, with no summer sightings and it's absence today, things do not look good.   2AAN , recorded today, would now become the oldest.

Other Birds at Antrim Marina

As I parked beside the short concrete jetty, the female Mute Swan -  X4707 , was on the slipway along with her six cygnets.   X4707 , was ringed in April 2024 at Bartins Bay on Lough Neagh and first appeared here in May 2024.  At that time, she was paired, but in late June 2024 her partner was found dead and she disappeared for a while.  Returning in August 2024 with a new partner, they have remained here since then.

During the summer, several people informed me that a pair of Mute Swans had a nest further upriver from the Marina, but I did not know -  X4707  was involved until she arrived with six tiny youngsters on the 22nd June 2025.  All six cygnets are doing really well, and two of them actually took brown bread from my hand, though the other four are still a bit wary.  The male arrived in from the Lough at 10:50.  I have metal rings for the cygnets, but a continuing back problem rules out any chance to get them ringed.  I'm having thoughts about contacting another ringer from the Belfast and North Down Ringing Group, to see if they would be interested.  For now, I'll wait until all of the cygnets are confident with being around people.

Mallards were present in good numbers, with around 60 birds throughout my visit.  Not long after arriving, I could hear a chick calling.  Looking through my binoculars at the opposite river bank, I could not locate it.  Just before 11am, it and it's mother walked up the slipway and onto the concrete jetty in front of me where they both took a rest.  The chick was tiny, so a very late season hatch.  Later on, both returned to the slipway where the chick could be seen feeding to the delight of three small children.  Not bothered by people, one of the children was able to pet the chick.  It would have made a nice photo, but not likely with children involved.

Female Mallard along with a Single Chick  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (03 Aug 2025)

A pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls were present throughout my visit, though they moved around between the Marina and the nearby Play Park.  The resident male Herring Gull also arrived just before 11am, and a short time later, the distinct calling of a juvenile was heard.  It was on the long wooden jetty, and soon joined up with it's father on the slipway.  No Common Gulls appeared today.

Juvenile Herring Gull  -  Antrim Marina, Antrim Town, Co. Antrim  (03 Aug 2025)

The Sand Martins are still present and nesting in the Swift holes just below the roof of the Gateway Centre.  Two Jackdaws were the only other species noted today.

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